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Approval of 7,782 GOAL scholarships – Ministry of Finance
The Ministry of Finance today announced that approval has been granted for 7,782 Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) scholarships and that successful applicants will soon be notified via email.
Below is a statement from the Ministry of Finance:
Approval granted for 7,782 GOAL scholarships – announces Minister Singh
-as the Government continues to prioritize investment in education
Georgetown, Ministry of Finance, June 8, 2024: Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance and Public Service, Dr. Ashni Singh, today announced that approval has been granted for 7,782 Online Learning Academy Scholarships of Guyana (GOAL) and that successful candidates will be informed by email next week. This approval follows the graduation, just two weeks ago, of the second batch of students, totaling 1,712, who completed their studies in various disciplines, including master’s and bachelor’s programs. The GOAL initiative is in line with the Government’s commitment to improving the country’s educational and skills training capacity to match its aggressive economic diversification program and continued rapid economic growth. In fact, the Government has already surpassed its Manifesto promise to provide 20,000 online scholarships, with almost 21,500 scholarships awarded by the end of 2023.
Under the leadership of President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the Government has embarked on a new and innovative program to develop and take online learning to a new level. The success of the GOAL program indicates that the program has been well received by the thousands of Guyanese who have benefited and who continue to apply for scholarships to improve their educational capabilities. At the recent GOAL graduation at the Arthur Chung Conference Center, the second group of graduates from diverse regions of Guyana, including the interior and remote regions, proudly celebrated their achievements.
“What GOAL does is also give them (Guyanese) the option of pursuing higher and higher technical education, if they also wish, using the online delivery method. It also offers a wider range of training options,” Dr. Ashni Singh recently explained, adding that the government is creating an environment where everyone can explore diverse opportunities that are being created so that the country can continue its rapid development .
Expounding on the purpose of the GOAL scholarships in more detail, Dr. Singh said that these are all elements of developing human capital and improving the skills of the workforce and population of Guyana, to have a more qualified and skilled workforce, as well as to have a more fulfilled population.
The government has been implementing a number of additional initiatives as it continues to invest in education across the country. It was also only in March this year that the administration launched the “Guyana-Coursera Platform” initiative, which will see approximately 50,000 people benefit from training in various areas across various ministries across the country, as part of the Government’s extensive national training initiative.
The administration has used a multi-pronged approach in its education investment initiative, including through the disbursement of cash and uniform grants to school-age children every year, with the 2024 grant being disbursed soon to students; cash grants to teachers each period to purchase classroom materials; and the construction of new schools, as well as the rehabilitation of several others across the country. Additionally, the government recently initiated its Student Loan Cancellation Program to potentially benefit more than 13,000 Guyanese who have student loan debt of $11 billion. The administration also reiterated its commitment to improving education provision, with a total of $135.2 billion budgeted this year for the education sector.